The Philadelphia 76ers are on the cusp of winning the NBA's version of The Biggest Loser.

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are on the cusp of winning the NBA's version of The Biggest Loser.

Think of all the can't-watch-this bad basketball in the league's history. The seven-win Charlotte Bobcats in 2011-12 could only muster a 23-game skid. The 1972-73 Sixers that went 9-73; just 20 straight losses. Those old Clippers and Grizzlies teams that couldn't even crack double-digit win totals didn't come close to 26.

None of them lost as many consecutive games as the Sixers. They have lost 26 straight games, a winless stretch has been matched in NBA history only by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Houston's 120-98 win over the Sixers on Thursday night matched the mark, prompting the back page of Friday's Philadelphia Daily News to run with the headline, "The Big SKID MARK."

The 76ers can set the record for NBA ineptitude at home against Detroit on Saturday.

"I'm not even thinking about it," veteran forward Thaddeus Young said.

Added guard James Anderson, "We try not to pay attention to it. But it's tough. There are a lot of people talking about it. It's kind of hard to ignore it."

Try impossible. Not even general manager Sam Hinkie, who orchestrated the takedown that left the roster for scraps, could have predicted this kind of carnage. The Sixers' streak started on Jan. 31 with a 125-99 loss to Atlanta. It stretched into a winless February. An 0-for-March seems possible.

Hope just might be on the way: The Sixers play a Detroit Pistons team that is 26-45 and has lost eight of 10.